First discovered in 2004, graphene is a one-atom-thick planar sheet of sp2-bonded carbon atoms that are densely packed in a honeycomb crystal lattice. In other words, it consists of a two-dimensional, giant, flat molecule made up of a lattice of carbon atoms, arranged in hexagons, which is only the thickness of an atom.
Graphene was initially obtained by mechanical exfoliation of graphite, using “the sticky-tape method” to repeatedly split graphite crystals into increasingly thinner pieces.
Various other methods for producing graphene have been used such as evaporating a mixture of large carbon-containing molecules and firing it over a heated metal surface such as extremely thin pieces of nickel, followed by dissolving away the nickel with chemicals, then “mounting” the carbonized residue (that may contain graphene) on a flexible polymer.
The various methods of producing graphene that have been published to this date have been useful for small scale production and therefore employed for research purposes only, as these methods are cumbersome and/or complicated.
Graphene possesses many unique properties, such as: being transparent, having remarkable mechanical strength, being bendable and foldable while still retaining its properties, and being an excellent conductor of electricity.
Due to its unique electronic properties, graphene may be used to fabricate ultra-fast graphene transistors that operate at GHz or near terahertz frequencies while using less energy compared to the currently available transistors, as well as being able to operate at room temperature.
The high electrical conductivity and high optical transparency of graphene make it a candidate for transparent conducting electrodes, required for such applications as touchscreens, liquid crystal displays, organic photovoltaic cells, and organic light-emitting diodes.
Other areas where graphene may be used include “detection technology”, and in the conductive plates of ultracapacitors.
It is therefore an object of the present invention at least to provide a novel apparatus and method for fabricating graphene.